Tiger Woods bashes belly putter

Tiger Woods, in the grand tradition of Michael Jordan, typically avoids taking sides in any public debate. So even though the long putter is not exactly an issue of weighty global importance, it was refreshing to hear Woods offer his opinion.

Woods, in his pre-tournament news conference today at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, was asked about the USGA’s announcement over the weekend that it would review rules allowing long putters. There is strong sentiment among some people in golf circles — and this remains our view — that anchoring the putter to a player’s body should not be allowed.

Tiger Woods is playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for the first time since 2002.

Woods often has talked about this with R&A chief Peter Dawson. The R&A, which serves as the game’s governing body outside the U.S. and Mexico, also is open to re-examining the matter.

“I’ve never been a fan of it,” Woods said of so-called belly putters. “I believe it’s the art of controlling the body and club and swinging the pendulum motion. I believe that’s how it should be played. I’m a traditionalist when it comes to that.

“I’ve talked to Peter about this for a number of years. My idea was to have it so that the putter would be equal to or less than the shortest club in your bag. And I think with that wording we’d be able to get away from any type of belly anchoring.”

The issue will not go away anytime soon, especially with some of the game’s top young players — such as Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley — using belly putters. Bradley became the first player to win a major with a belly putter in August, when he took the PGA Championship in Atlanta.